Louise Edgeworth of Gardening for Kids, says: “We have been working from our home garage for the last few years, but the business has boomed during the lockdown with parents, schools and nurseries eager to keep their children occupied so we needed bigger premises quickly.”
Edgeworth who lives near Haverhill and is supported in the business by her husband and daughters, says they had been looking around for some time but the spaces that would have been suitable were too expensive and the cheap space, “you wouldn’t want to occupy”.
“Then we came across The EpiCentre. They were so friendly and keen to help, and with their flexible terms and business support, it was an easy decision for us to take a 345 sq ft room there,” adds Edgeworth.
The company is receiving a great deal of interest from charities working with young people and those with learning disabilities because it is well known that gardening is beneficial to mental health. “We have supplied a lot of gardening kits to charities because they are receiving funding for specialist gardens and nature projects, and want bulk quantities of seeds and growing kits,” comments Edgeworth.
As well as benefitting from the boom in business during the lockdown, Gardening for Kids has witnessed many acts of kindness with one customer living near a block of flats who bought all the children in the block gardening packs.
The EpiCentre welcomes Gardening for Kids as its tenth customer. Since opening last November, the innovation centre has quickly put itself on the map for organisations that want more than just office space in the East of England. Part of this is the ‘Back to Business’ initiative which has started to gain momentum as businesses prepare to come back stronger.
The EpiCentre is the latest addition to Oxford Innovation’s network of 26 centres around the UK and is uniquely positioned and equipped to offer business support services. It has welcomed a variety of occupiers to The EpiCentre for both its office and laboratory space, as well as flexible office/meeting room options including co-working and hot desks.
Centre Manager Kelly Boosey says: “The beauty of The EpiCentre is that there are no huge commitments. We believe this to be crucial in the current climate and want our customers to have peace of mind. Flexible monthly contracts and day rates means our customers don’t have to worry about entering long-term contracts. And to help our customers prosper, we pride ourselves on the business support we offer- which is all included in our competitive rates. Our centre complies with guidelines to keep it COVID-safe.”
